JONATHAN EDWARDS made a tearful yet joyful end to his glittering career as he failed to make the jump-off in the World Championship final.

JONATHAN EDWARDS made a tearful yet joyful end to his glittering career as he failed to make the jump-off in the World Championship final.

Britain's triple jump sensation - who announced on Friday that he would be retiring after this event - could not recapture his best form and was unable to find his way into the group of eight athletes who jump off for the medals.

Edwards opened the event with a mis-timed jump which registered just 14.06 metres, and followed that in the second round by leaping only 16.31m, which left him in last place of the 12 finalists.

Just before it was his turn to take his third and final jump before four men were eliminated, Edwards walked over to his wife Alison who was sitting with their two sons in the adjacent stand in the Stade de France.

He asked if she minded if he called it a day there and then and when she smiled at him and agreed, Edwards motioned to the official that he would not be jumping.

It might not have been the way the 37-year-old reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder wanted to bow out but, after fearing he had broken his ankle during the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace two weeks ago, Edwards was just grateful to have had the chance to say farewell at such a major event.

Edwards broke down in tears as the packed crowd gave him a fantastic ovation when he left the track at the end of the round, but was all smiles once he had regained his usual dignified manner.

"That was fantastic," he said. "When I walked off the crowd gave me a lovely ovation and that finished me off.

"I just had nothing in my legs tonight, absolutely nothing. I thought that might happen; a couple of people said to me 'Don't announce your retirement beforehand because you won't jump well', and I guess they were right.

"I was just thankful to have the opportunity to retire like this."

While Edwards was bringing down the curtain on his career, the gold medal was won by Christian Olsson with his very first jump of 17.72m.

Olsson was a 15-year-old selling programmes in the crowd in Gothenburg when Edwards won his first world title eight years ago, setting the world record in the process.

Now the former high jumper is a 23-year-old star of the event and he claimed Sweden's second gold of these championships after Carolina Gluck's spectacular victory in the heptathlon.